APARTMENT FIRE MAY HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY CHILD WITH MATCHES

A fire that damaged five apartments on South Lorimier Wednesday afternoon was probably caused by a child playing with matches, authorities say.

It was a frightening moment for the 5-year-old when the fire ignited in his bedroom. His mother said she was roused from a nap as he fled screaming from their apartment.

The fire started around 4:30 p.m. in an apartment at 212 S. Lorimier. The fire damaged the boy's bedroom and a portion of another room before firefighters got it under control.

Black smoke damaged three other apartments, and water from fire hoses ran down into the apartment below Smith's, but the blaze was quickly confined.

The boy's mother said she was disoriented when she awakened. She said she tried to follow him and tripped over their dog lying on the floor.

By the time she made it out of the apartment, she said, she couldn't find him.

Neighbors Rick Rodgers and Melissa Thornton heard screaming from apartment and went across to find out what was wrong. They brought the woman back to their apartment and called 911 when they discovered the fire.

Then they started searching for the boy. Rodgers said he finally found him on the next block.

"He had run out of the apartment and completely around the block," he said.

Everyone made it out without injury.

Max Jauch, Cape Girardeau assistant fire chief, said the fire probably was caused by playing with matches or a lighter. It did not spread very quickly through the apartment because of poor ventilation.

Firefighters spent almost three hours at the scene because the fire had damaged some wiring. They had to wait for Union Electric workers to fix the problem before they could leave.